Out with the 225/75R15, in with the 30" Revos (probably) (1 Viewer)

[peterdouglas]

Thanks to everyone here for your tips and suggestions over the last few days. I've also read a lot of tire reviews online.

It was a very tough choice, but in early January I will most likely be getting Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo tires. They're not the most aggressive tire, nor the cheapest, but they have excellent reviews and are supposed to be excellent in snow - which is very important to me.

I can get 30x9.5-15 tires for about $5 more than the 6 ply LT 235/75R15. I'm kind of leaning towards the 30" since it's a nice compromise between the 235/75R15 and 31" tires. Should be OK for clearance without any suspension modifications. They're not too much bigger than stock, so it shouldn't slow down my 4 cylinder diesel 3B engine.

What you are seeing in the pics are 225/75R15 well worn tires - the left front and left rear wheels. The back looks a bit saggy, but should be OK for 30" tires.

 

[peterdouglas]

Just in case it's needed, here's a picture of the tire I want to get.

 

[sandcruiser]

30 will fit without any issues at all.
31's would probably work about as well, if you choose that route.

 

[COSkier]

I know there are some good reviews out there, but I had them on my wife's ranger and on an Exploder at work, and I think they sucked. Not good in the snow, and they barely lasted 30,000 miles. I think it was only 20,000 for the work truck. The mechanic at work put them on his Mitsubishi suv, and he had the same experience/opinion as me.

I hate paying money for things I know are not going to last (tires, windshield wipers), but I finally brokedown and bought a set of Michelins for my cruiser and the wife's ranger, and I have to say they are the best tire I've used, hands down, for snowy/icy road conditions. Not great for the deep stuff. But the Cruiser is my DD, and I don't 4-wheel much anymore, other than getting up my driveway and getting to work and the ski area.
Hope that helps.

 

[peterdouglas]

Yes, I think 30" tires should fit no problem. For the price difference, it's probably well worth it.

There were over 2000 reviews on tirerack.com for the Bridgestone Revo. I must have skimmed through a few hundered and read about 50 in great detail. Although there were a few people who thought the Revos weren't good in snow, the vast majority thought they were great. I couldn't find an all season A/T tire that had no negative reviews, but the Revo came up with the least negative reviews. Not sure which Michelin you ended up going with, but for my Matrix I tried Michelin X-Ice and found they were equivalent if not worse than all season tires in snow. Granted they were good on ice.

My second choice, if I don't get Revos, are the Kumho Road Venture KL78. The tire reviews also seem quite positive, though there were only a bit over 100 on tirerack.com. My father just got those tires for his Sonoma and so far, so good, though we've only had a couple of days with any significant snow. I didn't get a chance to drive his truck then, but he said the tires seemed fine in snow.

 

[notagp_afj55]

FWIW

I have a set of 31" mud terrains on my FJ60 and my springs
are much more flatter than yours so you have no worries
my friend

 

[peterdouglas]

Good to hear. The front certainly looks like there's enough room, but it was the back that had me wondering... looked a bit flatter to me. If I go bigger, it will probably just be 30" tires, so it should be fine. In the worst case, I can't go wrong with 235's.

 

[RredFJ40]

Had Dueler ATs and hated them, awful in the snow, couldn't even get into my driveway in the snow. Switched to BFG ATs and love them, much more aggressive, great in the snow and ice, and winter rated, so in my locale I can get away without "traction tires" when they say they're required on the passes.

 

[peterdouglas]

Hmmm, that's a few people on this forum now that have mentioned they didn't like the Revos. Based on the reviews at tirerack.com they had the highest satisfaction of any of AT tires I looked at, but they don't seem too popular with Land Cruiser owners. The BFG AT KO were some tires I was considering. Maybe I'll take another look at them or at the Kumho Road Venture KL78. An added bonus is that both of those tires are cheaper than the Revos.

 

[tonkota]

I miss my Kumho's. But I am totally happy with my Wild Country TXRs (by multi-mile tire). I feel that they excell in the snow/sand.

Have the Revo's sipped. That will really help in the snow. I don't beleive that it extends the life of the tire like they say but who really knows, everyone drives differently.

 

[tonkota]

And here is a pic of the TXRs in the snow
http://www.steelnthings.com/FJ62/PC210426.JPG

If you zoom in you can see the sipes have snow packed in them.

 

[peterdouglas]

Aaron, those look like decent tires. I found the website for multi-mile, but it looks like the nearest dealer to me is 135 miles away... not sure I want to drive that far for tires though. Once the holidays are over, I'll call around some local tire shops just to be sure there's nobody around here selling them. Otherwise, I'll have to consider the Revos or Kumhos and ask about having the tires siped, if it won't void the warranty.